keep my breaking heart in the dark
by lolainslacks
Summary: It's like she's shadowing her glow, trying to tarnish her shine; he wonders why anyone would want to do that.


**Disclaimer: belongs to Disney y'all.**

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The first time Shane sees Mitchie she's standing in a kitchen covered in flour, and he's been having a bad couple of days (what with his brothers abandoning him and all) so he's kind of a dick to her, he'll admit.

He lays the blame on her (something she didn't do), and she accuses right back (something he did). When he's the first to admit defeat she half-smirks realizing she's won (he likes her smile). He walks into the dining hall feeling dazed.

(He kind of likes it when she puts him in his place.)

.

The next time he meets her, he's teaching her how to dance and it's funny because he knows it's her, yet he doesn't at the same time. It's all a sub-conscious thing, really.

She's good, he can tell, and she's not trying too hard like that other blond girl- the one with the famous mother (who he could care less about).

He watches her, watching him; studying the patterns of his feet as he skitters across the floor, chocolate eyes darting quickly to catch it all. She's focusing on the beat purely and wholly, letting it guide her through the steps, and he can almost see the sparks jolting through her limbs as she dances. He stares transfixed for a while- too long, and suddenly there's a crash-bang collision and some kid's on the ground.

When he looks back at her the fire's gone, and it's like she's shadowing her glow, trying to tarnish her shine as the blond girl icily compliments her talent.

(He wonders why anyone would try to do that.)

.

When he finally meets her for real, he can tell that she's different (_good different_) just by the way she talks. She doesn't brush him off like the others, when he acts harsh and distant, and he's not really sure how to feel about that at first. He decides to give her a chance though, because- what the hell. He's a world-famous rock-star being forced to spend the summer at his uncle's music camp- what else has he got to lose?

(Truth be told he's starting to get tired of the whole act.)

.

They go on canoe rides and sneak out of their cabins late at night to talk by the lake. On the third night, she falls asleep on his shoulder and he carries her back to her room, waking her when they get there so she can slip back in, un-noticed. She offers a drowsy 'thank-you', and leans up to kiss him on the cheek, missing just slightly and landing on the corner of his mouth. Once she tiptoes back inside, he ambles back to his own room slowly, mind running a thousand different directions.

(For the first time in forever, he feels like he's flying.)

.

When he finds out she's been lying to him, it hurts more than anything has in a while (even though he maybe knew it all along). He yells over her as she stumbles to apologize, which just makes him angrier- because she's not even trying to fight back. That isn't how it is between them: the fight and argue, and she isn't supposed to do things like that, to cry. That was unfair- that was changing the rules, and he doesn't like change.

He storms off in a fury and suddenly he feels like doing something reckless: diving into the lake fully clothed, or climbing to the top of the tallest tree he can find. Instead he shakes his head thoroughly, and lies down on his bed for a while, 'til he feels better.

(He wishes he hadn't yelled quite so loud.)

.

He almost feels like he knows exactly what's going to happen when he walks into the auditorium. Well, not exactly _knows_ what's going to happen, but he can feel something in the air- a buzz.

She steps out on stage and he swivels because _that's her_, the girl who he was looking for- the girl right in front of him, and he knew, and didn't know that she was there all along. It's all irrelevant now though, and he hurries to meet her in the middle- standing close/too close/not close enough.

She sings and he sings and finally it feels like they're in harmony, the ebb and flow of their voices enveloping the crowd around them.

He grabs her hand and she grins.

(They both know now, where they belong.)

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